Eyebrows have been raised in South African football circles following the announcement of the latest national team squad for upcoming international friendlies.
This week Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos announced a 23-member squad which will play against Tanzania and Mozambique in two international friendly games, but there is a notable absence of players from one of the country's biggest clubs.
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This raised eyebrows amongst football lovers who questioned that even after winning the Nedbank Cup, Kaizer Chiefs failed to contribute even a single player to the national team. This is surprising considering that Hugo Broos couldn't select Mamelodi Sundowns players because of FIFA Club World Cup duties and also left out established SA stars from abroad.
Now insiders at Chiefs have questioned Hugo Broos who had stated he doesn't have any personal vendetta against Chiefs, but was disappointed with the clubs ninth-placed Premiership finish.
The sources added that there are better Chiefs players who can fit in the current South Africa squad when compared to some of the players selected.
"You mean to say Yusuf Maart can't fit into that squad? What about Mdu Shabalala? These players are better to fit in that Bafana Bafana squad at the moment. You know with Mamelodi Sundowns players excused from this squad I think it could have given players like Maart and Shabalala the chance to be selected. Other players have just played three games and are in the squad. What's the criteria for selecting the national team players?" the Siya source questioned.
Meanwhile, a second insider didn't want to state that coach Broos has a vendetta against Amakhosi but was short of saying there is a big problem in not selecting their players.
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"Whether it's a personal vendetta or not there is a problem. There are players who have played the whole season winning Man of the Match (awards) and they are not in the squad. But there are players who have just played three games and they are good enough to be in the squad. How? That's why we are saying even if there is no vendetta there is a problem somewhere, somehow when it comes to Bafana Bafana selection," the second insider believes.
With the Tanzania and Mozambique fixtures on the horizon, the debate around selection criteria for the national team is likely to continue, especially if Broos' squad performs below expectations.
For now, Chiefs' players will have to wait for future opportunities to prove their worth on the international stage.
